Turn Around Again
by Jezunya
Summary: AU: Inuyasha was a hitman, but left the trade after his gf Kikyou was murdered. 5 yrs later, he's asked to kill again: a girl who looks disturbingly like Kikyou. Ch 5 up! Miroku may have just stumbled onto some secrets from Inu's past...
1. Chapter 1

"Turn Around Again" by Jezunya

Okay, so I lied. "Higurashi" is no where near finished, and here's a new fic. Feh.

This idea suddenly came to me while I was driving to my grandparents' house for my Grandpa's 75th b-day (happy birthday, Grampa!!). Not much happens in this chapter, I guess, but I've already got a lot done on the second chapter, so don't fret. ^_^ And I have no idea where the title came from either (maybe I've been reading Ookami-chan's fic "Turnabout is Fair Play" too much… -_-;) but it just seemed right..

I don't own Inuyasha. I do own this plot, tho n___n

** ** ** ** **

"No, Miroku. I stopped taking these jobs a long time ago. You of all people should know that," Inuyasha growled down at his hands-free cell phone. 

"Aw, come on, Inu! It's been what- three, four years?" his friend's voice came through the speaker, echoes of traffic around him sounding in the background. 

"Five." He turned a corner sharply, gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled fists.

"Five, right. Longer than I thought. All the more reason for you to get back out into the world."

"Not like this, Miroku," Inuyasha shook his head, his voice low with pain. 

"It won't be like it was before." Inuyasha shook his head again, disgusted, but didn't say anything as he pulled up to the curb. Miroku continued. "Just don't get involved."

Inuyasha suddenly snarled. "'Getting involved' isn't what got Kikyou killed! It was the fucking _job!!"_

"Yet you haven't done either in the last five years," Miroku replied calmly.

Inuyasha deflated, turning off his car and slouching down in his seat. "I can't do this, Miroku," he whispered thickly.

On the other end of the line, Miroku sighed. "If you don't take the job, the client will find someone else who will," he said gravely. "Think about it." With an audible 'click,' he hung up.

Inuyasha glanced sidelong at the speaker set between the two front seats of his car. He deftly switched it off, in the same motion reaching for the manila folder on the next seat.

Miroku had gotten the job for him and had dropped the information off at his apartment the day before. He thumbed through the files, came to the end of the stack, frowned, and went back to the beginning to shuffle through them again. Documentations and photos of her house, school, usual hangouts… His eyes narrowed when he found what he was looking for: the target's personal profile. He'd missed it a moment ago; he had been looking for a picture attached to the top corner, but here there was only an empty paperclip. He frowned and scanned over the document. Her name, age, school… All the usual information. Why had the picture been removed?

The sound of hurried footsteps drew him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see two figures descending the marble staircase across the street. He laid his ears back almost as an afterthought, hiding them in his unruly silver hair, even as his eyes widened behind his sunglasses. 

_So that's why there was no picture, he thought numbly._

_Kikyou…_

** ** ** ** **

Woohoo!! My first completely AU Fic!! ^__^ I'm so proud of myself!! And don't worry, I'm still working on "Higurashi" and all the others ^.^

R&R please!


	2. Chapter 2

"Turn Around Again" by Jezunya

Me no own. XP

Okay, sorry for the long wait! I really did have this mostly done when I posted the first chapter, but unfortunately school and the 'real world' decided to jump me just then. -_-;; And this chapter's a lot longer than the first, so I hope that makes up for it ^^;

** ** ** ** **

Kagome sighed, longingly gazing out the window to the world beyond her stuffy classroom. It was almost lunch time. The bell would ring, and she would be free… She paused, her brow creasing slightly. Parked across the street in a deceptively inconspicuous spot was the very same car that had been in front of her family's shrine that morning. 

She shook her head. It was just a black car. Lots of people had nice cars like that. It had to be a coincidence. 

_Still… she thought, chewing her lip. __I can't help feeling like I'm being watched…_

The driver suddenly turned, seeming to look directly at her. Kagome gasped and whipped around to stare back at the front of the class. She tried to calm her speeding heart. That man with the silver hair… It was definitely the same guy who had watched her leave her house earlier that morning. She shivered slightly at the memory of how his eyes had seemed to bore into her, despite his dark glasses.

_Who is this guy? Some kind of stalker? Kagome chanced a quick look back at the window, but the car was gone._

***

Inuyasha sped away, whipping around corners and down streets far above any safe speeds, and not caring in the slightest. He had to get away. He didn't even know why he'd followed the girl to school. He wasn't taking the job. He couldn't. 

She looked so much like Kikyou.

He shook his head. _Don't think about it, Inu. She's gone, there's nothing you can do now. Just forget about her. Forget._

Before he knew it, he was in the familiar parking garage under his apartment building. He parked the car and made his way over to the elevator. He paused, his finger barely an inch from the button for his floor. Instead, he pressed 6. Miroku's floor.

He let himself into the other man's apartment, looking around cautiously and testing the air with his nose. "Miroku?" he called, turning a corner into the kitchen. 

Miroku looked up from his stove, "Oh, Inuyasha. I didn't hear you come in." He turned back, stirring something in a large black pan. "You want some mac-n-cheese?"

"Nah." 

Shrug. "Your loss."

Inuyasha folded his arms and leaned against the doorway as Miroku got himself a plate and sat at the small kitchen table. He watched him eat for a few moments, then asked quietly, "How much did you know about that job you got me?"

Miroku looked up. "I did look through the files a bit, if that's what you mean," he answered carefully.

"There was a picture of her attached to her profile, wasn't there?" Miroku just gazed steadily at him. Inuyasha let out a disgusted growl. "So you _knew?! You __knew that she looked like Kikyou!"_

"Look, I'm not the one who wants her killed, Inuyasha," Miroku countered defensively. 

Inuyasha turned away angrily. "You know what? It doesn't matter! You can tell the client he can go fuck himself in hell! 'Cause I'm not taking the job!" He stormed out of the apartment, cutting off Miroku's yell of his name as he slammed the door behind him.

He stalked up the stairs to his floor, working out his anger with each heavy step. At last, he was at his apartment, directly above Miroku's. He unlocked the door, and stepped into the dark room. 

His apartment was a stark contrast to his friend's. Where Miroku's was bright and cheerful, with a kind of 'lived in' messy look, Inuyasha's was kept spotlessly clean. Lights were rarely turned on, and when they were, only soft reading lamps. Tall bookshelves lined several walls, packed with volumes both old and new. There were no photos on the walls, no hint of family, friends, or even personal history. All the furniture was oak, black leather, or a mixture thereof. 

Inuyasha flopped unceremoniously down onto one such leather sofa. He pulled his sunglasses off, looked at them for a moment, and then tossed them away. He stayed there, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about anything. His mind had another idea, though. Out of the random bumps on the ceiling, the shape of her eyes formed. They stared at him, accusing and betrayed.

He closed his eyes.

_The shot rang out, cutting clear and loud through the silent night air. _

_The figure crumbled to the ground._

_He smirked, lowering his still-smoking gun. Target: eliminated._

_The figure drew a shaky breath. She was still alive. His eyes narrowed, and he slowly approached, holding his pistol at the ready. The figure continued to breathe heavily. He turned her over with his toe. _

_His gun clattered on the ground next to him._

_She stared at him, her eyes accusing and betrayed. "Inu…"_

The sound of a horn honking rudely down in the street woke him. Inuyasha blinked sleep-heavy eyes, turning to look at the clock on the small side-table. 

4:32

He groaned and climbed to his feet. He'd slept through almost the whole afternoon. _And I still feel like I could sleep for weeks, he thought, stumbling through the door into his bedroom. He sat on the edge of his bed. Reaching down to take of his shoes, he eyes fell on the nightstand and the sole picture on it. _

Him and Kikyou.

They were standing next to each other, the Tokyo harbor showing behind them. Kikyou stood straight and tall next to him, cool, calm, and collected as she had always been. She was staring out of the picture, her eyes… 

…Accusing, betrayed…

Inuyasha slammed the picture face-down on the nightstand and shoved his feet back into his shoes. At least remembering to grab a hat, unlike that morning, he threw his jacket back on and hurried out of his apartment, only one thought on his mind: he had to get away. 

When he was safely out in the hall, he stopped to lean against the wall opposite his door, feeling like he could breathe again, but not losing the heavy self-loathing. No, that he could never escape… He took a deep, calming breath, quelling the wave of anger and hate that had welled up in him, and forced himself to go through the motions of locking his door and walking calmly to the elevator.

The ride down to the parking garage was long and empty, as was the drive away from his building. He simply drove, not really paying attention to where he was going. After several minutes of wandering around downtown he found himself pulling into the parking lot of a quaint little café. Deciding to go along with his unconscious motions, he parked and turned off the car. He sat silently staring up at the building for a few moments. It was the type of place that Kikyou would have said was a waste of time, money, and space, with its friendly, chatty waitresses and cutely rounded tables and chairs. He climbed out of the car and made his way to the main building to order some coffee, the fact that it also seemed to be a teen hangout not really registering in his mind.

He found an empty out-door table to sit at, bordered on two sides by a small cement wall and tall bushes and away from the main hustle-and-bustle of the café. He leaned back in his chair, staring up at the clear sky, expelling a long breath, almost a sigh.

_She slumped against him and he could no longer hear her heartbeat._

_"Kikyou..!"_

_She wasn't breathing…_

_The sky rumbled, and rain began to fall around them. A far-off flash of lightning and another wave of thunder…_

Inuyasha was drawn out of his reverie when he realized that what he was hearing was actually not the replay of a night five years ago, but several chairs scraping over the floor across the café's patio. A group a teenage girls in green and white school uniforms were seating themselves at a round table on the other side of the patio. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed almost imperceptively. The Target was with them. 

He shook his head vehemently. He had to stop thinking like that. She was just some random high school student, just a normal girl who didn't need to know he existed. Just a girl.

She looked so much like Kikyou.

A waitress in a short skirt came and placed his coffee before him, smiling sweetly before moving away again. He stared down into the browned depths of the cup, stirring a finger around in it, seemingly unaware of its scalding heat. He cast a glance back at the girl. She was sitting with her back slightly to him, chatting and laughing lightly with the other girls, all obviously enjoying their free afternoon. And he had refused the job – she would live to enjoy other such afternoons. 

The tiniest of rustles in the bushes near him alerted him just as he saw the point of red light tracking up the back of the girl's chair. A high-pitched ringing accompanied it. Inuyasha's ears perked up underneath his hat. He knew that sound. He could feel his hackles raise, knowing that the hidden gunman was about to pull the trigger. 

_"If you don't take the job, the client will find someone else who will."_

Inuyasha could feel his forehead bead with sweat. The red dot settled on the back of the girl's neck; her head would be completely blown off. There was another rustle from the bushes as the gunman carefully aimed and prepared to shoot.

He was acting before he even realized it. Inuyasha leapt to his feet and, reaching into the bushes, knocked the gun askew just as the trigger was pulled. The table exploded in a shower of splinters, only inches away from its intended target, and the café instantly erupted in a storm of screams and chaos.  

Kagome could only stare at the demolished table and shattered cement beneath, where she'd been sitting only moments ago, everything seeming to move in slow-motion for a moment. Then she was grabbed roughly under the arms, practically thrown to her feet, and pushed at a run out to the parking lot. She was stuffed into the front seat of a car, which roared to life and sped away only seconds later.

A figure stood on the soft dirt of the café planter, cloaked in the shadows of the tall bushes, the shiny black nozzle of her rifle visible from between the leaves, but going unnoticed in the pandemonium. Red eyes narrowed, watching the car speed away and disappear in the evening traffic. 

"Damn it. The Boss is not going to like this…"

***

They whipped around corners at break-neck speed, the café vanishing from sight almost immediately. Kagome yelped as she was thrown against the car-door on one particularly painful turn. Righting herself and rubbing her bruised arm with one hand, she looked over to see who this maniac driver was that had grabbed her.

She shrieked, causing the silvery-haired man to cringe against the steering wheel and shoot her a death-glare. "Stay down," he said crossly, reaching over and pushing her head down out of sight of the car windows.

"What—?! Who do you think you are?! Why have you been following me?! Let me outta this car!!" Kagome screamed, sitting back up.

"You- you saw me?" The surprise was obvious in his voice, but then he shook his head and growled again, "Dammit girl, will you just shut up and stay outta sight!" He reached for her head again, but she slapped his hand away, glaring fiercely.

"Why? So no one will know you're kidnapping me?!" she yelled.

"I am _not kidnapping you!" he hissed back._

"Oh yeah?!" Kagome waved her hands around, indicating the inside of the car. "Then what do you call this?! I'm stuck in a car with a strange man I don't know who has been following me around all day! And you say you're not kidnapping—!!"

A hard 'click' cut her off, and Kagome found herself staring at a pistol pointed straight at her, held down low enough that no one in the surrounding cars could see-. The man didn't look at her, kept his eyes on the road, but his face was suddenly set as if in cold stone, and when he spoke, his voice was low, cold, quiet.

"You are going to shut your mouth, and you're not going to talk anymore through this whole trip. Understand?"

"You—!"

Here he did glance at her, his eyes like shards of amber ice, cold, calculating, almost lazy from having done this same thing so many times. "It's not aimed to kill. But if you don't want to lose a limb or at least a lot of blood, you shut up right now."

Kagome stared at the muzzle of the gun and nodded mutely, a sick feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, and pressed herself back into the corner where the seat met the wall of the car, as far from the man as she could get. He didn't look at her again, but pulled the gun back and placed it back inside his jacket.

***

It was after a few more minutes of driving that the man pulled over to the curb and killed the engine. Kagome sat up, looking around. They were on a quiet residential street that she didn't recognize, parked unobtrusively in the shadow of a large shade tree.

"Okay, here's the deal," he began, drawing her attention back to him. He sat sideways, one elbow resting on the steering wheel and the other on the top of his seat, glaring down at her with slightly-narrowed gold eyes. "Somebody wants you dead. Don't bother asking me why or who, 'cause I don't know. But I am _not kidnapping you, ya got it? If anything I'm the reason you're still alive."  _

Kagome looked at him skeptically. "What do you mean? I'm just a normal kid! Why would anybody want to come after me?"

"I said I don't know," the man glowered at her. "But I do know this: somebody's going to a lot of trouble to track you down and has hired some real experts to get rid of you. Now, to me, that screams anything _but 'normal kid.'"_

Kagome faltered, her eyes widening. "But… Why _me?" she asked softly, her bravado melting away. She had calmed down enough now that her anger wasn't overriding her other emotions, and they began to show up clearly on her face. _

Inuyasha had to turn away, swallowing the sudden lump in his throat. He hated that look. _Fear. Especially on a woman's face. That and tears. __Maybe that was why Kikyou and I got along so well.. He reached under the steering wheel and twisted the key, switching the ignition on.  When the car pulled forward, Kagome looked around out the window, then turned her large questioning eyes on him. "Where are we going?"_

Inuyasha was almost caught short by that. So now he wasn't 'kidnapping' her? They were just 'going'? Ok… "Someplace safe," he answered cryptically, busying himself with steering and avoiding her eyes. When she'd spoken, he had glanced at her, and what he saw there had surprised him. Yes, her fear was still written all over her face, but there was also something else there: determination. And for some reason, that shook him in a way he couldn't even begin to explain. 

Kagome leaned against the car window, counting the trees they passed and watching as the houses began to dwindle and traffic began to pick up. Just before they reentered the busy main roads of downtown, she turned her head to look over at him. "Hey."

"Hey what?"

She hesitated, bit her lip lightly, and then, seeming to come to a decision, asked, "What's your name?"

His eyebrows rose slightly. Why did she want to know his name? Well, whatever… "Inuyasha," he said flatly.

The girl nodded, saying the name to herself, trying it out. Then, "I'm Kagome."

"I know."

"You—?!"

"Oh, forget it…"

This was going to be a long drive…

** ** ** ** **

Whee! I finally got off my butt and finished this! ^-^

Well, hm, I think this is my first on-going fic without a huge ol' glossary at the bottom.. hehe ^^; 

Um, well, I really don't know what to say. I usually have tons of space taken up by notes and the glossary, but this time… hm. Well, I guess, a big "Thanx!" goes to the wonderful people who reviewed! ^_^ I luv feedback on my fics, so don't hesitate to review and/or email me! (hint hint *points to bottom of page where there is a button conveniently marked "Submit Review"*) 

Oh no, I'm rambling… So, yah, review!


	3. Chapter 3

"Turn Around Again" by Jezunya

Feh. All I own are some plushies, manga, and my ideas. Feh.

Hm… I was just reading over the first two chapters, and Inuyasha really is a potty mouth, plus themes & plot, so I'm up-ing the rating from PG-13 to R. Hope that doesn't discourage too many of you from reading ^^ 

Owowow!! I just got all four of my wisdom teeth out on the 2nd of January, and my mouth hurts soooo much!! *sniff* however, this means I can't really do much right now, so I have lots of writing time *pained smile*

** ** ** ** **

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha in surprise as he pulled the car over to the side of the road, somehow managing to maneuver out of the traffic to parallel-park by the sidewalk. "What are you doing?" she asked as he proceeded to shut off the car and remove the keys.

"We're walking from here," the silver-haired man replied shortly, opening his door and climbing out onto the sidewalk. Kagome scrambled out of her door to follow him.

"What do you mean?" she asked over the top of the car, trying to close her door and dodge on-coming cars at the same time.

"We're. Walk. Ing." He growled, slamming his door and starting off down the sidewalk.

"But why?" Kagome hurried after him, having to jog to catch up to his quick stride. "Isn't it safer in the car?"

"No." A moment later, he glanced back at her unhappy face and made a noise somewhere between a snort and a sigh. "We're probably being followed," he explained resignedly. "It'll be easier to lose any pursuers in this crowd on foot than in the car."

"Oh, ok," Kagome nodded, before her tone turned sarcastic, "except that a blind man could probably spot your hair from a mile away!"

Inuyasha stopped and turned to look at her, an odd expression on his face. Then he scowled. "Keh. Fine, we'll get out of the open. Come on," he said gruffly, setting off down the sidewalk again.

They walked for a few minutes more, when Inuyasha stopped abruptly and turned to enter a small, run-down shop. "What are you doing?" Kagome hissed, following him into the shop.

"Getting out of the open," he hissed back, "Now shut up." 

The shop seemed to be some kind of bar, dimly lit and filled with smoke and the smell of old beer. Kagome wrinkled her nose and tired to ignore the way the people all stared at her as she passed. The place had a distinct ancient feel to it, and the strange hair, eyes, pointed ears, and many tattoos on the patrons didn't help Kagome feel any more welcome. Why did they keep staring at her like that?

Inuyasha exchanged nods with the bartender, a tiny man with a puckered mouth and bulging eyes, and leaned across the counter to speak to him in hushed tones. "I was never here, and neither was she," he jerked his head in Kagome's direction, discreetly pulling out a wad of bills and passing them to the little man. "Got it?"

"Of course." He hesitated though, his bulbous eyes going to the girl behind Inuyasha and then to his customers beyond her. "This won't easily be forgotten, though. It's not everyday a miko comes through here…"

Inuyasha just snorted and straightened. "I trust you can take care of it."

He nodded distractedly and waved them on, and Inuyasha made his way around to the back of the shop, motioning for Kagome to follow him. For her part, Kagome was thankful when they exited through a door in the back wall and finally got away from all those prying eyes. The door opened into a long curving hallway with a concrete floor and plaster-white brick walls.

"Where are we?" Kagome finally asked, jumping a little when the door slammed shut behind them.

"Myouga's… he's an old friend," Inuyasha mumbled, leading the way down the hallway as he pulled out his gun again. He hated how this building curved so much; he couldn't see more than ten feet ahead of them.

"So where are we going now?" Kagome asked, looking around at the blank walls.

Inuyasha gave her an irritated glare. "Do you have to ask questions every two seconds? It's getting annoying."

Kagome sent her own glare at his back and folded her arms angrily. She wasn't asking that many questions.. How could he blame her for wanting to know where he was taking her? For all she knew he was some perv who liked to mess with teenage girl's heads… and bodies… With a little shiver, Kagome unfolded her arms to hug herself nervously.

"You know, I agreed not to scream…but that doesn't mean I trust you."

"Good. You'd be an idiot if you did."

Kagome frowned and tried to keep up with him. "Well you're not exactly doing a very good job of convincing me that you're not kidnapping–"

"Would you mind shutting up?" he suddenly interrupted her, glaring at her once more. "I can't hear a damn thing with you chattering away all the time."

Kagome raised an eyebrow as he turned away again, holding his gun at the ready as they rounded more curves in the hall. She had always been a rather quiet walker and Inuyasha seemed to have almost in-human stealth for his part, so beyond the sound of her own soft foot-falls was utter silence. What on earth was he trying to hear?

Inuyasha visibly relaxed when a pair of industrial white double doors came into view as the hall ended. He let his gun drop but didn't put it away just yet. "Stay close," he hissed, cautiously pushing open one door. They stepped into…

"A laundry room?" Kagome asked quizzically. It was a plain cement room lined with quarter-operated washers and dryers, the kind found in a college dorm or under an apartment building. The room was thankfully empty, the only noise coming from the water sloshing in a few over-balanced washers. Inuyasha made his way to the doorway on the opposite wall, glancing around down the hallway that led off in both directions.

He swore under his breath and pulled back from the doorway. "Sit. Try not to look suspicious," he ordered, a new note of urgency in his voice. Without even thinking, Kagome sat herself on one of the peeling benches and picked up a magazine that someone had left there. She began to flip through it as Inuyasha turned away from her, tucking his gun away again, and moved to stand as if he were waiting by one of the driers. Just then a guy walked into the room. 

"Hey, Inu," the brown-haired boy greeted, smiling cheerfully as he went to wait by his washer. 

Inuyasha just grunted and tried not to make eye-contact. 

"Picking up your laundry?"

Grunt.

The boy smiled again, and then glanced over at Kagome. He blinked and the smile just got wider. "Hi there! You must be new; I don't remember seeing you around here before. I'm Hojo." He kept on smiling and stuck out his hand as he bowed politely.

Kagome gulped and took his hand hesitantly. Now that she got a good look at him, Hojo wasn't exactly a 'boy.' He looked to be at least a few years older than her, maybe even twenty. She felt a little blush beginning on her cheeks. "Higurashi Kagome," she said, letting him shake her hand enthusiastically. She could see Inuyasha watching them warily over his shoulder.

"So, did you just move in? I haven't heard of anyone new, but then I don't always hear about everything," Hojo grinned, folding his hands in front of him.

"Um, no.." Kagome began. What was she supposed to tell him? That someone was supposedly trying to kill her and Inuyasha had brought her here because he said he was protecting her? Her mind scrambled for something just a little more plausible. "Actually, I'm, ah, visiting some friends here," she smiled innocently up at him. _Not that I know where 'here' is exactly…_

"Oh really?" Hojo seemed to completely buy it, while Inuyasha glared and rolled his eyes behind him. "Did you get lost? I know it's kind of a large building, so I could help you get back to your friend's apartment if you like." That permanent smile was beginning to wear on her nerves…

"Um, actually, I'm, ah, here with Inuyasha!" She gestured past Hojo to the white-haired man who suddenly jerked up in surprise.

"Really?" Hojo turned to look at Inuyasha again, before his face once again broke into that unnerving smile. "Why didn't you say so? Is she your cousin or something?"

Inuyasha had to use some serious control to not fly into a rage right then and there. The little idiot was practically _trying to get herself killed.. "Yeah," he finally ground out through clenched teeth. Lucky for her no one but he and Miroku knew anything about his family._

Hojo smiled yet again and turned back to Kagome. "So you're relatives, not going out? Then would you like to go see a movie some time while you're here?"

Kagome blinked. "Um…"

"Oh, look," Inuyasha cut her off sharply, pretending to look at his watch. "I just remembered we're supposed to have dinner with Miroku. Right now." He pushed past Hojo to haul Kagome to her feet and lead her rather forcefully out into the hall leading to the rest of the apartment building. 

"See you, Higurashi-san!" Hojo waved cheerfully as she was dragged away. Kagome waved back half-heartedly, not wanting to be rude, before Inuyasha pulled her around a bend.

"What-" Kagome began, turning to him angrily once they were a good distance down the hall, but Inuyasha gave her such a glare that she shut her mouth immediately. 

They rounded another corner and came to the elevator. Inuyasha pushed the call button with one hand, the other still clenched around Kagome's arm, and the doors opened to an empty elevator after just a few moments. He pushed her into the compartment, angrily hitting the button for his floor. Once the doors closed, he rounded on her. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded, jerking her arm almost hard enough to wrench it out of its socket.

Kagome flinched and pulled her arm free of his crushing grasp. "What am _I doing? You're the one who brought me here! It's not my fault we ran into that guy!"_

"That doesn't mean you have to completely blow your cover and tell him everything!!" When Kagome stared at him blankly, he threw up his hands in exasperation. "You're pretty damn lucky that it was Hojo we ran into and not someone else, but even that idiot can talk – which means news is gonna get out pretty damn fast that I have a certain 'Higurashi Kagome' in my care. I hope you're happy, 'cause you just ruined any chance of us being able to keep this secret!" He huffed and folded his arms, turning his back to her.

Kagome just stood and thought about that, chewing her bottom lip as she watched her several reflections in the polished floor and wall panels. She really hadn't even thought that he would want it kept secret. If anything, she had thought it was good idea to come up with a reason for them to be seen together, and Inuyasha had seemed to play along well enough… So what was his problem? "Why's it so important that nobody know I'm here?" she finally asked, just as the elevator dinged and opened onto their floor.

Inuyasha gave her an irritated look as they stepped out into a large, nicely furnished lobby area. And not just nice, this place was _NICE. Shining tile floors; expensive looking side tables and gold lamps dotting the walls; doors made of a rich, dark wood, with little gold numbers written all in cursive. Beautiful._

"You want the people trying to kill you to find you?" Inuyasha asked, breaking through her thoughts. Kagome's mouth just formed a little 'o'. She hadn't thought of that..

Inuyasha just snorted and lead the way down one hall from the lobby to his apartment. Kagome had to suppress a grimace when they reached his door. Floor 7, room 1313C. Boy, it was a good thing she wasn't superstitious or anything…

Inuyasha unlocked his door and shoved it open, stepping over the threshold before his eyes snapped up to stare across the room. The window was sitting open, the blinds trembling slightly with a small breeze from outside. There was someone in his apartment. He motioned for Kagome to stay right where she was as he pulled out his pistol and inched down the wall to the entrance of the kitchen. He couldn't tell who or what was there, thanks to the heavy odor of something burning on the stove, but he could hear someone in there, probably waiting for him. They had probably done that on purpose, so he wouldn't be able to use his nose. A thought which only further pissed him off.

With one last growl, he leapt around the corner, completely ready to shoot if he had to. Fortunately, it didn't come to that.

"Miroku?!" Inuyasha gasped, immediately lowering his gun from where it was aimed at his friend's forehead. The dark-haired man looked just a little shocked from where he sat at Inuyasha's table flipping through one of his usual magazines. 

"Oh… Hey, Inuyasha, I didn't-"

"Hear me come in. Right." He made a face and quickly covered his nose. "What the fuck is that smell?!"

Miroku blinked and delicately sniffed the air, before leaping up and racing to the stove. "Shit! I didn't even realize it was burning!"

Inuyasha deadpanned. "And _why are you cooking in my apartment?"_

"Oh – I was cooking some soup down at my place but it boiled over before I realized it. Completely ruined the stove top."

"So now you have to come ruin my stove?!"

"Oh please, all you ever cook is ramen. Which is microwavable anyway. So technically you don't even need your stove."

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and curiously picked up the magazine left on his table. Playboy. He whistled under his breath. No wonder he'd been distracted. Carefully rolling it up as if the very pages were poison on his hands, Inuyasha stepped up to the stove next to where Miroku was trying to put out the small flames on his Hamburger Helper™ meal. He calmly held the magazine over one such small flame and the paper promptly caught fire. Miroku suddenly looked up as more and more of his prized booklet disappeared in a burning puff smoke. After a minute, Inuyasha tossed what was left of it into the sink to smolder.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku growled, staring mournfully at the little pile of damp ash in the kitchen sink.

Inuyasha just snorted. "I don't care what you read on your own time, but don't leave that smut lying around my place, got it?" he said tersely, making his way back out of the kitchen. "Oi! Get in here!" he called toward the door. 

"Eh? You brought someone with you?" Miroku asked, finally deciding that his dinner was officially ruined and dumping it in the sink with the magazine. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at him again as there was the sound of the front door closing and a teen-aged girl came into view. His eyes widened slightly. Who knew Inuyasha could pick up such a young, beautiful girl, even if she did look a little pale and tired..? And then he recognized her. "O my gosh," Miroku gaped.

Inuyasha just scowled and grabbed Kagome's arm, pulling her away into the living room. Miroku hurried after them. "I cannot believe this!" he said, staring at them in shock. Inuyasha let go of Kagome, allowing her to sink down on one of the couches, and turned to face the other man.

"Yeah? What's not to believe? She sitting right here, isn't she?" he growled, his hands clenching into fists. He was tired and irritable, his nerves were frayed, and he really just didn't want to deal with this right now. 

"But why isn't she—"

"Shut up! I don't want to talk about it!"

"What?" Kagome cut in, looking between the two men nervously. "Why aren't I what?"

Miroku looked at her almost pityingly. "Dead."

Kagome stared at him wide-eyed, not sure what to say to that. "Well… Inuyasha did save me," she said softly, glancing at the whit-haired man. Miroku looked at him sharply as well. He was about to speak when Kagome let out a jaw-cracking yawn that she had been trying to hold in. She looked sheepishly up at them as the two men stared back in shock. "Uh… sorry?"

"Oh for crying out loud!" Inuyasha growled and grabbed her arm once again, pulling her up and shoving her towards what seemed to be a bedroom coming off of the living room. "Go to bed!"

Kagome hesitated, several scenarios running through her head. For all she knew these guys were both rapists, and she'd be defenseless if she went to sleep. On the other hand, Inuyasha _had saved her life, and he could've had his way with her at any time while they were alone together, had he chosen to. Plus she was just now realizing how tired she was… Against what was perhaps her better judgment, Kagome finally just nodded and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind her and hoping that she wouldn't regret this later on._

After the door was closed, Inuyasha and Miroku stood and listened as the girl climbed into bed and slowly drifted off to sleep. Or rather, Inuyasha listened, and Miroku watched him intently, waiting for him to speak. Finally, when her breathing had settled into the soft, steady rhythm of sleep, Inuyasha relaxed, letting out a long breath before flopping down onto the leather couch that Kagome had just vacated and pulling off his hat.

Miroku chose that moment to jump all over him.

"Are you _insane?!"_

"…"

"Tell me, what could have possibly possessed you to jump in and rescue the girl?!" Miroku continued, pacing back and forth, seemingly oblivious of the weary scowl his friend was sending him. "It's bad enough that you refused the job, but to actively move against a client like this…" He broke off and flopped down onto the sofa next to the dog-demon, running a hand through his black hair.

"I know…" Inuyasha growled, glaring down at his hands. "I don't even know why I saved her…"

"Because she looks like Kikyou?" Miroku offered a bit sarcastically.

"Shut up."

A heavy silence settled over them as Miroku did just that, but continued to watch Inuyasha. One triangular ear had covertly twisted around to listen to the sound of the girl's quiet breathing coming from the bedroom, the other twitching and flicking almost spasmodically, indication of the hanyou's unrest. He clenched and unclenched his hands, watching his claws move and gleam, before, finally, he spoke.

"Who was the client, anyway?"

Miroku frowned. "You know the rules, Inuyasha. We do the job, they pay—"

"No questions asked on either end. I know," he growled, cutting the human off. "This is different, though!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah. For one: I didn't accept the job, so whoever-the-hell-this-is _isn't my client, so I don't really feel all that obligated to play by the rules."_

"Like you ever do."

Inuyasha snorted and continued, "The girl got me thinking… Why _is she being targeted? According to her profile she's average at just about everything. She's not connected to anyone powerful or dangerous in any way. She doesn't even play any sports, so jealous teammates or opponents – or their parents – are out."_

Miroku shuddered. "Good thing, too. I remember the last time I got a job like that. A little girl didn't make the soccer team. Nasty stuff…"

Inuyasha cleared his throat and looked away. "Anyway, this just doesn't strike me as 'normal,' y'know?"

Miroku nodded, understanding. "There's no motive. She's completely innocent. Except…"

"She looks like Kikyou," Inuyasha finished grimly, staring down at his hands once more.

"Inuyasha…"

"I was lead into killing Kikyou. And now someone is leading me straight to a girl who looks like she could be Kikyou's twin."

"You don't think…"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. _I'm the one being targeted, not her. The only reason she's even involved is because she happens to resemble Kikyou."_

"Hm. It's possible, I suppose," Miroku mused. "So the only other question is who…and why."

Inuyasha's eyes darkened. "Probably some sick bastard who found out more than was good for him, and decided I needed to pay for all my killings." He muttered, "Wouldn't surprise me at all…"

The phone on the side table beside them rang just then, and Inuyasha scowled at it sourly before picking it up. Before he could answer, though, the person on the other end spoke.

"I know you have the girl, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha felt his blood run cold. "Who is this?" he demanded.

"It's a pity, really…you could have been great."

"Who the hell IS THIS?!"

The voice remained calm, as if he hadn't just been yelled at by an angry dog-demon. "Now I'm afraid I'll have to take her and her cargo by force. A pity, really."

"WHO-?!" He was cut off abruptly as there was a click and the connection went dead.

Miroku stared at him as he dropped the receiver back onto its cradle. "Did you trace it?" he asked softly, wary of his friend's apparent anger. Inuyasha glanced at the small black set of equipment hooked up to his telephone/answering machine combo; it was always on so he could trace any and all calls that came in, but now it was just blank. Inuyasha frowned and tapped the little screen with a claw.

"What the hell-? There's no signal!"

Miroku stood up and came around to look at it as well. "That's… very odd. Who ever it was must have had some way of blocking you."

Inuyasha sat back on the couch, folding his arms and frowning in thought. _'Who ever it was'… Who was it? "The voice… it sounded familiar," he finally said aloud. _

Miroku stopped inspecting the tracer and looked over at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Inuyasha trailed off and shook his head. "I don't know, but I could have sworn that I've heard that voice somewhere before…" Miroku watched him closely as he stood and began to pace around the living room. 

"What did they say?" he asked after a moment. Maybe that would give them some clue…

"He said he knew I was protecting Kagome… and that now he'd have to take her and her cargo by force… What the hell did he mean by 'cargo'?"

"So you're sure it was a he?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha nodded. "And you're sure you've heard their voice before?"

"Yes. I can't remember when or who, exactly, but I know I've heard it before! Maybe there's something in here…" He trailed off as he disappeared into the kitchen and bent down in front of the wastepaper basket in the corner of the room. Carefully, so nothing would fall out, he pulled out the manila folder holding the girl's profile. He'd thrown it away earlier that day, after deciding that he wanted nothing to do with the job. Maybe he'd missed something in there..

Miroku shot up and ran to the kitchen when he heard Inuyasha yell. The half-demon sat on the tiled floor, sheets from Kagome's profile scattered haphazardly on the floor about him, staring down at one sheet in his hand. "Inuyasha?" Miroku approached him cautiously.

"I think I found something," the dog-demon said, climbing to his feet and shoving the paper at Miroku. He took it and peered down at the type before glancing back up at Inuyasha again.

"What's this?"

"The last page in her profile," Inuyasha said grimly, "And check out what it says about half-way down."

Miroku frowned and scanned the page. His lip curled when he found what Inuyasha must have meant. "'…Once Target is eliminated, deliver body to…' That's disgusting!" Miroku exclaimed. "What kind of sicko would want the girl's body after she was dead?"

Inuyasha folded his arms and leaned against the wall, thinking. After Kikyou had been… killed… someone had broken into the morgue where her body was being kept before they were going to cremate her. They had stolen her body, only to leave the torn up remains on Inuyasha's doorstep the next morning. A little note had been found attached to her. It had simply said 'What a pity. I didn't find what I wanted. I'll just have to keep looking. I may decide to employ your services again in the future.' In the bottom corner had been a small spider logo, the same sign used by the man who had hired him just before he was tricked into shooting Kikyou.

_"Now I'm afraid I'll have to take her and her cargo by force. A pity, really."_

It all pointed to him: Naraku.

** ** ** ** **

Whoo.. So Inuyasha suspects who's been setting him up ^_^

Review! Don't ask when the next chapter is coming out, cuz I DON'T KNOW!! WAHAHA!!!! *ahem* sorry.. too much vicodin @.@


	4. Chapter 4

"Turn Around Again" by Jezunya

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape, or form, own Inuyasha *runs away crying*

I'm home sick right now, so let's see if I can get this thing done…

** ** ** ** **

When Kagome woke the next morning, she felt refreshed, but more importantly, safe. She'd found an oak chair in the corner of the room, beside a small side table with a reading lamp on it. It didn't look all that comfortable, but it was sturdily built and fit perfectly under the doorknob leading back out to the living room – where Inuyasha and his friend were. Once the door was effectively barred and her more paranoid side appeased, she had let herself relax enough to kick off her shoes and socks and crawl into the large bed, which seemed to be the only piece of comfortable furniture in the entire apartment. 

She hadn't given much thought to her situation before dropping off to sleep, but now, as she lay with grey morning light peeking through the blinds, she found her mind turning over the events of the previous afternoon. One minute she was a normal girl studying for her exams, and the next she was running for her life with some weird-looking guy who'd been following her around since at least that morning. 

She frowned at the ceiling and folded her arms above her head. What did she know of Inuyasha? Nothing, really, beyond that he'd apparently been stalking her and that he now said he was protecting her. Could she trust him? Her thoughts from last night ran through her head again; he hadn't tried anything and he had saved her life – maybe he had been following her because he knew someone was trying to kill her and he was waiting to be able to prevent it! She half-smiled. In that light, she felt a lot better about trusting him. She rolled over onto her stomach to rest her chin on her still-folded arms.

That's when she saw the picture.

Actually, all she saw was the back of the frame, but it caught her eye nonetheless, as it was the only picture she'd seen anywhere in Inuyasha's apartment. Rising up onto her elbows, she gingerly reached over and picked it up.

***

Kagura shivered under the cold glare.

"You failed?" he finally drawled. At her silence, he sat up straighter, resting his hands lightly on the glass top of his desk, and drew a long breath. "Perhaps I had too much confidence in you, hn?" He rose from his chair and began pacing behind the desk. Naraku pursed his lips, before snapping his gaze back to Kagura. "You do realize that the possibility of this being a clean case has now been wiped out, thanks to your mistake," he said. It wasn't a question.

Kagura frowned. "He interfered. There was nothing I could do."

Naraku's dark eyes narrowed at her, his arms folded behind his back in a seemingly business-like fashion. "The police are going to be all over the café mess. They'll be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary." He reseated himself behind his desk, glaring up at her as she continued to stand before him. "I want that girl. Go."

Kagura hurried for the door behind her, thinking about what he'd said. The police would indeed be investigating the attack at the café, and some of their more experienced officers would no doubt recognize it for what it was. And that meant Kouga.

Naraku waited 'til she was gone before turning to the figure standing in the shadows in the corner of the room. "Well?"

She glared back defiantly, her grey eye flashing. "_I want to kill him."_

Naraku chuckled darkly, lacing his fingers together. "Patience, little one. You'll get your chance."

"Kagura will try to kill him."

Naraku snorted. "Kagura has survival instincts, unlike some people. She's no match for Inuyasha, and she knows it. Don't worry… You'll get your chance." He smiled silkily as she glared at him, then turned and left through the hidden door behind her.

***

Kouga growled under his breath as he stalked through the crime scene. This was no simple case of teenage vandals. The outside patio of the café had been completely blown apart. _Blown up, he corrected himself. He crouched on the cement, running his gloved fingers over the holes there. Bullet holes. From a pretty heavy-duty rifle. There had only been one shot fired, but it had been enough to destroy an entire table as well as the floor beneath. Shaking his head, Kouga rose and began making his way back inside._

There were several officers replaying the tapes from the security cams stationed along the property's perimeter. He came up behind the little cluster, frowning at the TV screen in thought. Someone hit the slow-motion button. "See? The shot came from in the bushes," Kouga's partner said, tracing the almost visible path of the bullet with a slim finger.

"Sango, rewind that again," he said, his brows lowering further. The pony-tailed officer glanced up at him and obliged. He watched once again as a man, halfway off screen, suddenly leapt up and seemed to punch the bushes, only an instant before the shot was fired. Then he went dashing away off screen, into the area a different camera was watching. "Again, and slow it down," he leaned forward, trying to get a clear view of the man by the bushes. He jammed down the pause button on the VCR when the man was swinging his arm around toward the bushes. Kouga couldn't believe his eyes.

"Ne, Kouga, isn't that..?" Sango started, but trailed off when she saw her partner's rather livid face. 

"Yeah," he finally ground out. "That's Inuyasha."

***

"..But do you really think he's involved in this? He could have just been there by coincidence."

Kouga snorted, continuing down the hallway to his office. "Coincidence, my ass. That bastard's probably behind half the crime in Tokyo!"

"Well, that's a bit of an overstatement," Sango replied flatly, leaning in the doorway as Kouga flopped down behind his desk and immediately reached for the phone. She frowned. "What are you doing?" she asked as he dialed.

He just shook his head as the other end was picked up. "Yo, Myouga… Kouga. You seen dog-turd recently? Inuyasha, yeah. No?" He paused. "Really? And how much did he pay you?" Another pause, and Kouga's eyebrows rose a little. "Reeeally?" he said again. Then, "Dang, that shit-head must really be serious about this one. Yes, I'm talking about Inuyasha… Nice to see you're still babysitting him. Ja," he hung up the phone, rolling his eyes. 

"Myouga?" Sango guessed.

He nodded, standing again. "He said dog-turd hasn't been to his place in a while, though he seemed pretty defensive when I asked how much he'd been paid to say that. Then he spilled."

Sango grinned. That was just like Myouga-jiisan. "So..?"

"I'm gonna pay dog-face a little visit. Apparently he had a teenaged human girl with him when he went through."

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Wait. There was a missing person reported from the café – a teenage girl. You think it's the same person?" 

"Probably," Kouga agreed. He stuffed his car keys into his coat pocket and grinned ferally at her. "Which means we might finally have the proof we need to put the jackass away."

Sango nodded and started to turn away. "Be careful, then. Wouldn't want it to turn into a hostage situation."

Kouga was about to agree and go down to the car garage when he paused and looked back at her. "You don't want to come with me?" he asked, frowning. Sango was the kind of girl who hated being left behind at the precinct; it was a tough job, being one of only a few female detectives, but she was determined and definitely up to the challenge.

"Nah. You're the one who knows the guy, and this whole 'assassin' business is really your field." She grinned at the dead-pan look he gave at the comment about knowing Inuyasha, and hooked a thumb back up the hallway, "I think I'll go back and check on the evidence. See if we can identify the gun that was used." With that, she turned and started away.

Kouga just shrugged and strode down to the elevator and out to his car. 

***

Inuyasha cocked an ear around as he heard the door to his bedroom _finally open. He'd been up for hours already and the girl was just now coming out. He grumbled about weak humans needing all their stupid sleep as he watched his ramen spin round and round in the microwave. Miroku had gone home sometime early that morning, saying he was gonna sleep 'til noon, after puzzling for hours over how and why Naraku was involved with Kagome._

Keh. Stupid humans.

He heard the girl making her way across the living room to the kitchen and remembered at the last moment to put his hat back on. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye when she came into view, taking in her sleep-rumpled clothes and bare feet. He froze when he realized what she was studying in her hands. 

It was the picture from his nightstand. He'd completely forgotten it was even in there when he'd sent her to bed. Cursing under his breath, he swung around in his chair so he completely faced her and began to get up.

Finally, Kagome looked up at him. "Who… who is this?" she asked softly, her eyes unreadable.

He froze where he stood, held in place by her gaze. "Her name was Kikyou," he said simply, relaxing a little when she looked back at the photo, taking her eyes off him.

"Oh… She looks.. like me…" Kagome touched a finger to the glass over the photo, bemusedly tracing the lines of a face she saw every morning in the mirror.

Inuyasha reached out and took the picture from her, not fiercely, but firmly nonetheless. 

"She doesn't look very happy," Kagome commented not unkindly, hungry for some conversation after the long nearly-silent afternoon yesterday. Inuyasha turned away, holding the picture carefully, and didn't reply for a long while.

"She died," he said finally, as if to end the discussion.

"Oh.. I'm sorry." Kagome looked down at her feet, feeling a little ashamed at bringing up a painful subject like that.

"Whatever…" Inuyasha ground out tensely, dropping the picture face-down on the counter. The microwave beeped then, and Inuyasha strode over to retrieve his breakfast, glad for the distraction. Kagome sat at the table, across from where he'd been, and watched him stir the spices into his steaming cup of noodles. He came and sat again, giving her a look when he saw her sitting across from him, but just shook his head and picked up his chopsticks to dig into his ramen. 

Kagome's stomach chose that moment to growl rather loudly. She blushed and tried to cough to cover it up, but Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. "Keh! Fine! Take it!" he said angrily, shoving the cup and chopsticks at her and getting up to make himself a new one.

"Um.. Thanks," Kagome said, timidly picking up his abandoned chopsticks. Inuyasha just grumbled and put another cup in the microwave, his back to her. Silence stretched between them again as Kagome ate her noodles, watching Inuyasha's back and glancing around the kitchen curiously. Her eyes landed the picture frame several times, before switching back and forth between it and Inuyasha.

It was so quiet… the only sound in the whole place was the soft hum of the microwave. She glanced once more at the picture, reluctant to bring up the subject again, but yearning for some conversation. "Why did you do that?" she finally asked. She saw Inuyasha tense at the sound of her voice.

"Do what?" he growled, turning his head slightly in her direction but not really looking at her. 

"That," she said, deliberately not going into detail so he would turn around instead of making her talk to his back. He didn't turn, but he did at least look at her over his shoulder. It was more of a glare than anything else, really.. Kagome huffed in annoyance.

"What?" he asked again, more forcefully, his gold eyes flashing in irritation.

She gestured toward the photo on the counter with her chopsticks. "Put it face-down like that. It was like that in your bedroom, too…" She trailed off as she saw his hand fist tightly around his new pair of chopsticks, before he finally turned to face her fully, a strange, loud noise, almost like a dog's growl, echoing around him. Maybe the quiet had been better after all…

"Why don't you just mind your own fucking business, eh? She's _dead! I don't want to have to see her face every time I turn around!"_

Kagome glared up at him. "What about me? Why did you bother saving me if you _hate seeing my face so much?!"_

"That's different! You're not her!" he yelled, slamming a fist down on the counter, hard enough to crack it slightly.

Kagome was immediately contrite, seeing how much the subject seemed to upset him. "I know… I'm sorry. I guess I just thought.. I mean, it's obvious you cared about her a lot, so I thought you'd want to remember her." She looked down at her ramen, feeling ashamed and guilty all over again.

"Keh. You thought wrong." Inuyasha growled, turning away again. Halfway back to the microwave, though, he froze, as if listening intently. His gaze snapped up to the kitchen doorway beyond Kagome and he seemed to almost sniff the air. His eyes widened and he swore vehemently, running for the front door.

"What the-" Kagome got up to follow him, peeking around the corner of the kitchen doorway. Inuyasha cracked open the front door, glaring out at whoever was on the other side. Quiet, angry voices drifted back to her, and whoever was out there suddenly shoved the door, hard. Inuyasha was pushed back a step, and in the time it took him to brace himself and start to slam the door closed, the man had slipped in.

Kagome took a step back into the kitchen as the pony-tailed man hit Inuyasha up side the head, sending him crashing face-first into the heavy oak door. "Damn it, Ookami!" Inuyasha snarled, whirling back around. "Get out!"

"Why should I?" Kouga sneered, dancing across the room out of reach of Inuyasha's swinging fists. "You got something to hide?" He stopped as his eyes landed on Kagome, still standing in the kitchen doorway. He took in her appearance, remembering what he'd been told about the 'missing person' from the café – teenager, black hair to mid-back, green school uniform. "Apparently you do," Kouga breathed, not taking his eyes off Kagome. Kagome glanced at Inuyasha questioningly as the other man continued. 

"You know," he said conversationally, "there was a report of a girl being kidnapped from a café downtown yesterday." He grinned mirthlessly at Inuyasha, before letting his eyes trace over Kagome again. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, now would you?" 

Inuyasha looked like he was about ready to rip the guy apart, so Kagome decided it was about time to intervene. "Kidnapped?" she said, drawing both men's attention to her. She smiled slightly at Kouga, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Oh, no, Inuyasha's an old family friend. I'm just staying with him for a few days. He didn't kidnap me."

Kouga narrowed his eyes at her, glancing side-long at Inuyasha to gauge his reaction to this statement. Shaking his head, he walked up and took Kagome by the elbow, earning him an angry growl from Inuyasha. He led her into the kitchen, giving the white-haired man the finger as they passed out of sight. Once away from Inuyasha, Kouga turned to Kagome, still holding her arm as if to reassure. "Listen to me, you can't protect him," he said quietly but urgently.

"What?" Kagome frowned. He made Inuyasha sound like some big-time criminal… _Which he could very well be, she reminded herself, although this guy was making her way more uncomfortable than Inuyasha ever did, even in the short time she'd known him._

"What's your name?" the man asked bluntly, apparently not about to answer her questions.

"Kagome."

"Kagome, I'm Detective Ookami. Now, I understand that Inuyasha's threatened you and you think you're doing the right thing by saying what he wants, but you're only making the situation more difficult. You can tell me the truth. Has he done anything to you?"

Kagome blinked up at him for a moment, her eyes wide. This guy was a police officer, and he was acting like Inuyasha was holding her hostage. She was about to spill the beans, when he decided to step back and look her over again – once again taking in her disheveled clothes and hair.

"I mean, I can see why he would want to.. You're a beautiful girl, Kagome-chan," he grinned.

Kagome quickly stepped away from him. Being hit on by a police detective who was who-knows-how-many-years older than her was not exactly her idea of security. "Ah, no, I'm fine. Like I said, I'm just staying with Inuyasha for a few days. He's my cousin," she added, remembering the fib she'd told that Hojo guy the day before.

Kouga frowned at her. "We'll see.. I assume your family knows you're here, then. I'll be checking in with them just to be sure."

"Uh, right." 

"Oh, and Kagome," he dug into the pocket of his tan trench coat, pulling out a business card. "This is the number straight to my office. Call if you need anything… or if you change your mind," he said grimly, handing her the little card. Kagome just nodded and waited for him to leave. 

The detective strode out of the kitchen and out of her line of sight, a loud thud and an angry curse just before the door banged shut marking his passage past Inuyasha. Kagome relaxed and sank into a chair after he had gone, Inuyasha coming into the kitchen a few moments later. He scowled when he saw her fingering Kouga's business card.

"You're keeping that?" he asked irritably, glaring pointedly at the card.

"Yeah.." Kagome didn't look up at him. "You know, 'just in case.'" _Just in case he was right, just in case I really can't trust you… _

Another uncomfortable silence settle over them as Kagome poked at her now-cold ramen and Inuyasha fished his out of the microwave. She just couldn't forget what Ookami-san had said.. He'd really made her think that Inuyasha was dangerous. Okay, so she knew he was dangerous – the man carried a gun, for crying out loud! But he'd made it sound like Inuyasha might actually do her harm, that he wasn't protecting her. Running over the conversation again in her head, Kagome suddenly thought of something.

"Hey," she said, getting Inuyasha's attention as she rose from her chair. "Can I use your phone?" she asked, already making her way into the living room where the telephone sat beside his couch.

"What for?" Inuyasha countered, following her with narrowed eyes.

"Detective Ookami said he was going to call my family, so unless you want him back here arresting you for kidnapping me, I need to call them first and let them know what's going on," she said, picking up the receiver and dialing her home number.

Inuyasha looked at her like she had suddenly sprouted a second head. "What, you're just gonna say, 'Hi mom, I'm fine, there's just a bunch of people out to kill me right now'?!" he growled.

Kagome rolled her eyes at him, sitting on the leather sofa. "No. …Well, maybe not _just like that, but we do need to make sure mom knows to go along with our story." Inuyasha snorted and wandered over to the window, fiddling with the blinds as the phone on the other end of the line rang and rang. _

Finally, after several minutes of nothing but the sound of the phone ringing, Kagome hung up with a discouraged sigh. "Guess they're out…" she said quietly.

"Yeah, or they're on the other line talking to Kouga right now," Inuyasha replied sarcastically, still facing away form her. 

"Kouga?"

"Ookami."

"Oh." She frowned and shook her head. "No, I would have gotten a busy signal…" She trailed off, looking down at her hands in her lap. After a few silent moments, she asked softly, "So what do we do now?"

Inuyasha slowly turned to look at her. She was wringing her hands lightly, her face down, her shoulders hunched. Her fear was rising again. He could almost smell it. Kouga had warned her away, made her scared of him all over again. Not that he cared, he quickly told himself. If anything, it was better for them both this way.

_In fact, it's not even an issue. I don't need to think about it! Mentally shaking his head, he faced her completely, leaning back against the window sill._

"We hit them before they hit us," he answered her grimly.

Kagome looked up at him then, her face unsure, yet trusting, her eyes hesitant, yet determined. And it suddenly occurred to him why he had been so taken aback when he'd first seen her determination – she wasn't anything like Kikyou, despite their outward likeness.

She was just like him.

** ** ** ** **

Not much action, but lots of thoughts in this chapter.. Don't worry, Sango and Miroku _will be making much larger appearances later on. This was just kinda introducing Kouga and Sango's characters. Yes, they're both police, and they're partners. Ooh, and who is the 'little one' working with Naraku to kill Inuyasha? Any guesses? ^_^_

Review Please!!


	5. Chapter 5

"Turn Around Again" by Jezunya

Disclaimer: Come on, people! I think we all know who owns Inuyasha and who doesn't… ;_; 

** ** ** ** **

Inuyasha peered out through the blinds, watching the detective climb back into his beat-up police car and pull away from the curb, not taking his eyes off it until he was sure the wolf was gone. Once he was satisfied that he wouldn't bother them anymore, he turned back from the window to look at Kagome where she still sat on the couch. She glanced up from her knees when she felt his eyes on her, her gaze questioning. 

"Well, come on," Inuyasha said gruffly, gesturing with his head as he led the way out of the living room and into the entry by the front door. He pulled his black Armani jacket off the coat rack behind the door as Kagome sat quietly and pulled her shoes on. 

"Where are we going?" she asked as she stood, stamping her feet lightly to adjust her shoes.

Inuyasha cast her a sidelong glance, hesitating as he stuffed his car keys in his pocket. "We're going to see Miroku," he said slowly. "I think I know who's after you, but Miroku's really better at gathering information and that sort of thing.."

"So..?" Kagome prompted, following him out of the apartment into the hallway.

"So.. We're gonna find the bastard, and take him out."

Kagome nodded, walking slowly after the white-haired man as he led the way to the elevator again. Suddenly though, he stopped mid-step, almost making Kagome run into him, his head snapping up to look around warily.

"Hey…" Kagome began, glaring up at him, but he silenced her with a sharp wave of his hand, his eyes distant, with a suspicious, almost worried look on his face. After a moment he relaxed again, his face changing from tense concentration to a slightly confused expression.

"Huh…" He exhaled softly, shrugging and shaking his head. 

"What?" Kagome asked when he began moving again.

He shook his head again, reaching to push the 'down' button by the elevator. "Just.. thought I heard something…" he mumbled, scowling down at the pristine tiles around the elevator doors. He could've sworn he'd just heard a helicopter flying through the air near them. While it was entirely possible that it was just a news or weather chopper, he was ready to suspect anything, especially since he knew for a fact that one of Naraku's underlings was a pilot.

He could feel Kagome watching him, but he ignored her, only shooting her a glare when the elevator doors opened to let them in.

A few seconds later they were emerging on the floor just below Inuyasha's apartment, the silver-haired man once again leading the way down the hall. He stopped in front a door about halfway down the hall and pounded on it loudly, making Kagome jump and glare at him. There was the muffled sound of someone slowly moving around inside, followed by shuffling footsteps approaching the door before the bolt was flicked back and the door opened a crack.

Inuyasha's friend from the night before peered out, before recognizing them and opening the door further. "There you are," Miroku said, sounding slightly exasperated. "I was about to go up and see what was taking so long.."

Inuyasha scowled and hooked a thumb in Kagome's direction. "The wench here had to sleep a full 28 hours last night," he grumbled, ignoring the furious look Kagome gave him. Miroku just chuckled as he stepped out and pulled his door closed behind him, turning around to lock it with his key. "Not to mention a certain wimpy-wolf decided to come and hold us up," Inuyasha continued, scowling as he studied the designs in the wallpaper across from him.

Miroku looked at him sharply, suddenly not quite so carefree. His mouth compressed into a grim line, as he straightened and gestured for them to return to the elevator. "Great. Just what we need, the police breathing down our necks," he sighed, running a hand through his short hair as they boarded and began to descend to the ground-level of the apartment building. Kagome glanced at him unsurely, but decided not to ask about that comment.

When they came out into the main lobby, Miroku began to lead the way out toward the front doors, Kagome following slowly behind him. Inuyasha, however, froze on the threshold of the elevator, his eyes widening. He sniffed, then gagged at the burning scent that flooded his lungs. "Miroku!" Inuyasha rasped, running after the two humans, who turned to look back at him with surprised expressions. 

"What is it?!" Miroku asked, reaching out a hand toward the staggering silver-haired man.

Inuyasha slapped it away and instead pushed both of them toward the doors. "Go! Gas!!"

Miroku took a sharp intake of breath but didn't question any further as he grabbed Kagome's arm and ran for the doors, Inuyasha not a step behind them. Just as the automatic doors sealed behind them, they could see people at the reception desk and around the lobby beginning to fall to the ground, unconscious.

"What.. What was that all about?" Kagome questioned anxiously, breathing hard, staring in at the now-still apartment building.

"Sleeping gas," Miroku answered gravely, thumping Inuyasha on the back when the other man bent over, hacking and coughing. "I suppose we should have expected him to play dirty.."

"Him?" Kagome asked, looking at Miroku, then down at the still-coughing Inuyasha with a slightly worried expression.

"The person who's trying to kill you – a man called Naraku," Miroku replied. "He-"

Inuyasha abruptly elbowed him hard in the stomach. "Shut up, Miroku," he wheezed, glaring up at the other man as he finally got some hold on his breathing. "She doesn't need to know.." he trailed off as he straightened and looked up toward the top of the building, just in time to see an unmarked black helicopter take off of the roof of the apartment building. "Fuck. I knew it.." he growled, glaring up at the helicopter as it flew off. He turned to lead the way down the sidewalk. "Well, come on, no use just standing here.."

"Kagura?" Miroku asked, jogging to catch up with the other man. Inuyasha nodded once. He'd recognize that chopper anywhere – after all, he'd practically spent all his waking hours (which were quite a few) in that helicopter when he'd worked for Naraku.. And he knew the maneuver she's used well too – put everyone to sleep, then dash and take what you want. He half-smirked to himself. She was gonna get hell from Naraku when she came back empty-handed.

They made their way around the building, coming to the outdoor entrance of the car garage, where Inuyasha announced that they'd have to take Miroku's car, since he had left his parked several blocks away in front of Myouga's bar the day before.

"So, where to?" Miroku asked as he backed out of his parking place and headed out of the garage.

"Just drive west, I need to make a phone call," Inuyasha replied, flipping a cell phone out of his jacket pocket. He punched in a few numbers quickly and pressed the phone to the forelock on the side of his head – and, presumably, so the ear hidden somewhere beneath it. Kagome watched silently from the backseat of the car as he waited for the other end to pick up, his free hand distractedly rapping his abnormally-long nails against the car door.

Inuyasha's eyebrows kicked up the tiniest bit in that way that signals a person going from 'on hold' mode to alert talking. "Sess."

A quiet voice sounded on the other end, calmly asking what the hell he wanted.

"I need a favor…" Inuyasha said slowly, casting a sidelong look at Kagome.

***

"You have got to be kidding," Kagome half-pleaded, looking back at Inuyasha. She tried to ignore the way the tall silver-haired man beside her raised one eyebrow almost amusedly as he looked between her and her so-called protector. 

Inuyasha glared at her, making that strange growling noise again. "What are you whining about? You wanna get killed?"

"No.. but I don't see how this helps at all!"

"I can't have you tagging along the whole time. You'd just get in the way," Inuyasha replied, his face scrunching up even more, if that were possible. "Besides, Sesshoumaru's place is the most secure place in Tokyo, probably all of Japan," he admitted, somewhat grudgingly.

"Ah, so it seems you have finally admitted who is the stronger of us," the tall man finally spoke up, directing a small superior smile down at Inuyasha. The shorter man growled, turning his scowl on him.

"Shut up, asshole. It's just 'cause your wife's a fucking miko that I'm even willing to leave her here," he snarled, fists clenching at his sides and practically shaking with the urge to swing at his half-brother.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, his lip curling slightly to reveal long, fang-like teeth. "You should watch your words, bastard. I might change my mind about taking your bitch into my care if you insult my mate."

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed, ignoring Kagome's rather offended outburst at being called a bitch. "Nice bluff, but you owe me a favor, remember?" He smirked as the older man's face darkened with a scowl, then turned to leave. "Just.. stay inside, and out of sight," he growled as he passed Kagome on the way to the door. She nodded once, slowly, and with that, he left.

The two stood in an awkward kind of silence once the huge banded doors had swung closed behind Inuyasha's retreating figure, until Sesshoumaru slowly turned to regard her. He looked about to make some kind of cool, sarcastic remark, when a ball of white fluff came whizzing in from a side hall and rammed into Kagome's stomach, completely bowling her over.

"Where's Uncle Inuyasha?! You're not Uncle Inuyasha! But you smell like Uncle Inuyasha!! How come you smell like Uncle Inuyasha?!" Kagome could only stare up at the white-haired child sitting crouched on her chest and stomach. And of course her eyes were drawn to the rather husky-like ears perched atop the child's head, both of which were tuned toward her like a dog on full alert.

"Sakura," Inuyasha's brother said sternly, picking the child up beneath her arms. 

Sakura, in turn, beamed up at him, "Father!"

Sesshoumaru turned the child around to give her a firm glare. "What did we discuss?"

She just continued to smile at him, even as she repeated the words that condemned her behavior. "'It is undignified to run in the house, to jump on visitors, and to bark, howl, or whine like a common pup.'" Sakura smiled broadly at her father once she had finished reciting what had probably been meant to be a hard-learned lesson, completely oblivious to the slight twitch in Sesshoumaru's left eye as she seemed unfazed by the words she had just spoken. 

Sesshoumaru finally just sighed and set the small dog-eared girl on her feet, turning her back to face Kagome, who was still sitting dazed on the polished marble floor. "Now, introduce yourself properly," he commanded, giving Sakura a small nudge toward the human girl. 

Sakura looked up at her father and then stepped forward and clasped her hands in front of her, bowing low. "I am Inutai Sakura, daughter of the Great Inutaiyoukai Lord Sesshoumaru and the Lady Rin, Ruler and Mistress of the Western Youkai domains. Douzo yoroshiku!"

"Higurashi Kagome, douzo yoroshiku…" Kagome managed softly, her eyes still glued on the living, moving dog ears on top of the little girl's head.

"It is rude to stare," Sesshoumaru rumbled, his voice only slightly reproachful as he watched her coolly.

Kagome immediately snapped her gaze away from the small girl before her up to the tall silver-haired man standing behind her, looking both confused and a little frightened. "What.. what does she mean by 'Lord' Sesshoumaru..? A-and 'youkai'?! And… And what's with those ears?!" she demanded, casting a shaky glance back at Sakura, who simply blinked her wide gold eyes up at the human girl.

Sesshoumaru arched one slender brow, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. So Inuyasha had not revealed his demonic heritage to this bitch? How.. interesting. Well, his half-brother was sure to receive quite a surprise if he intended to keep her ignorant of their youkai blood...

***

Inuyasha pulled out the files they'd managed to find on Naraku the night before as Miroku made his way through the down-town traffic on the path to the Tokyo harbor. With any luck they'd be able to find the warehouse where the bastard had last been known to be holed up.

"So what, exactly, is it that this Naraku does?" Miroku asked after a while. Inuyasha snorted and tucked the files away again, peering out the windshield. He'd always been purposely vague about his past careers, particularly the dark days of working under Naraku, but now it was beginning to seem that Miroku would need to know what he was capable of. Still…

"Weapons. Drugs, sometimes," he mumbled. "Good business, too. Better than you'd expect."

"Oh?"

The dog-demon half-smirked. "It takes a hell of a lot of crack to get the average demon high, Miroku. So just think, if you're catering to Great Demons and their kin. That's some damn big money."

Miroku whistled low. "I bet. You must've had a nice life, wallowing in cash and all the powder you could ask for…"

Inuyasha grimaced, sounding almost like he was choking on something vile. "Ugh, you gotta be kidding.. I can't even stand to be in the same room with the stuff, much less voluntarily inhaling it." He shook his head, shuddering. "No, I'll leave that to the humans and lizard youkai, thanks…"

Miroku glanced at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Lizard youkai?"

"Don't ask.. They just have this weird thing for the stuff…"

"So what did you do for him, if not actually working with the merchandise?" Miroku asked conversationally, keeping his eyes on the road as they turned a corner.

Inuyasha didn't reply, his face darkening somewhat. What he'd done for Naraku hadn't been much different from what he did on his own now: mercenary work, assassinations. Interesting that what was supposed to be the biggest job of all time had actually ended his career as a killer… He shook his head. "Nothing big," he lied. "Just, ya know, basic body guard stuff… Pull over here."

Miroku did as he was instructed, trying not to frown too much at Inuyasha's explanation. Him, a body guard? Right, and the sky was purple. It just wasn't in his character to work like that, he thought, glancing at his friend out of the corner of his eye. The only person Inuyasha had ever been interested in keeping safe was himself. 

_At least until Kikyou, anyway. And now he's protecting that Kagome girl, too… I just hope things end better for him this time around…_

***

They approached the warehouse from a back alley, sticking to the shadows and trying to stay as out of sight as possible. As it was, their efforts were wasted. There was nobody there. 

"Well, that was fun," Miroku remarked dryly, leaning in the doorway of one of the offices inside the building. Inuyasha just growled at him, stalking off into the bowels of the storage building, muttering to himself. Miroku rolled his eyes and followed after him. 

"There has to be something here!" he heard the dog-demon snarl from within one office as he rooted through some old filing cabinets. Papers and portfolios flew everywhere as he finally just began yanking the drawers out of the cabinets and tossing them onto the dust-covered floor and desk. 

Several papers fluttered down in front of Miroku as he was just coming in through the doorway. He frowned and bent to retrieve them. What idiot would leave this much paper evidence lying around in an old abandoned hideout? He turned the papers over his hands, scanning their contents. 

Miroku felt his eyebrows shoot up and quickly glanced up to make sure Inuyasha still had his back to him. Luckily, the dog-demon was still tearing through the cabinets on the far wall, and he was able to go back to reading the sheet in his hand, his eyes darting across line after line, growing more shaken with each one. 

Glancing up at Inuyasha once more, he knelt and began gathering up as many of the paper files as he could manage and then stuffing them inside his jacket. He quickly straightened when his half-demon companion turned back and stalked past him out of the office. 

"Come on," he growled, "There's nothing important here. Let's go."

Miroku just nodded vaguely and followed after his friend, still dazed by what he had read and determined to find out more about it as soon as he could. 

All the while, three little words from the papers chased each other around and round inside his head:

_Shikon no Tama._

** ** ** ** **

Well.. that ending sorta caught me by surprise. When I started working on this again today, I was honestly expecting to get only a little further, but then I was like, 'hey, that's a good place to stop!' And so I checked how long it was, and it was already about 6 pages! Yay! ^_^ So there ya are, another chapter! ^__^ 

**Douzo yoroshiku –** "Pleased to meet you."

**Inutaiyoukai –** Inu: dog; Taiyoukai: Great Demon. So, Great Dog-demon (as in, the Lord of dog-demons)

**Miko –** Shinto priestess/shrine-girl. 

**Youkai –** demon 

Review please!!! ^___^


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